The present invention relates to a skin stretching tape for stretching a skin in one direction, and a method of alleviating an aching pain such as a muscle ache and the like using the skin stretching tape.
In general, an aching pain such as a back pain occurs under various circumstances regardless of the nature of the aching pain, i.e., a chronic pain or an acute pain. In many cases, such an aching pain tends to be felt as an excessive tension near a skin, in particular, a specific portion of a muscle. Usually, such a specific portion of the muscle having the excessive tension is pressed with a finger and the like, so that the aching pain becomes more prominent locally, thereby making it possible to easily detect a location of the aching pain.
In order to alleviate the aching pain, a massage, a packing sheet, and a local taping have been generally applied to an affected area where the aching pain occurs. When the massage is applied to the muscle, it is possible to promote a blood flow in the muscle, so that the muscle can be recuperated more rapidly. However, it is difficult to apply the massage to an affected area for a long period of time. Accordingly, even when the tension in the muscle is moderated, and the aching pain is alleviated upon applying the massage, it is still difficult to obtain a prolong effect of the massage. When the muscle ache is still in an early stage, the packing sheet may be applied to the affected area to cool or warm a muscle, so that the muscle can be recuperated more rapidly. It is possible to maintain the affected area with the packing sheet applied thereto for a relatively long period of time, so that it is possible to obtain a prolong effect thereof. However, it is evitable that an effect of an ingredient contained in the packing sheet declines with time, so that the effect of the packing sheet also declines with time.
As compared with the muscle pain alleviation remedies described above, in the local taping method, a band-shaped long tape is affixed to a skin above the muscle at the affected area along a specific direction according to an extending direction the muscle, so that a movement of the muscle is supported as well as the blood flow in the muscle is promoted through stretching the skin. An effect of the local taping method does not decline within a short period of time, so that it is possible to maintain a prolonged effect thereof for a relatively long period of time.
In the local taping method, however, the tape is applied over an entire portion of the muscle around the affected area. Accordingly, when the muscle pain is limited to a small area, it is difficult to effectively apply the tape at the small area. Further, it is necessary to affix the tape in different ways depending on an area, thereby making it necessary to attain experience for a practitioner to affix the tape properly.
In view of the problems described above, an object of the present invention is to provide a novel method of alleviating the muscle pain using a skin stretching tape. According to the present invention, even if the muscle pain is limited to a small area, it is possible to easily affix the skin stretching tape only at an affected area without extensive experience. Further, another object of the present invention is to provide the skin stretching tape to be used in the method.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the invention.